The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue compete in the NBA G League as members of the Western Conference. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center, an arena shared with the Thunder.
The franchise began as the Asheville Altitude in 2001 playing in Asheville, North Carolina for four seasons. After struggling with poor attendance, the franchise relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma and played nine seasons as the Tulsa 66ers. Before the 2014–15 season, the franchise relocated again to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, becoming the Oklahoma City Blue.
In its inaugural season, the Altitude had a 26–30 record, finishing sixth in the league. Center Paul Grant was named to the league's inaugural All-NBDL Second Team. After accumulating a 49–57 record after two seasons, the Altitude won back-to-back championships in its final two seasons in Asheville. Despite the Altitude's recent success, the franchise experienced poor attendance with fans often numbering in the dozens despite a 5,000 seat capacity. In its first four seasons, the Altitude averaged 788 fans a game and suffered at least $100,000 in losses.[3]
After the 2004–05 season, team president Rudy Bourg announced the Altitude had been sold to an independent ownership group and would relocate prior to the start of next season.[4]
Tulsa 66ers (2005–2014)
Before the start of the 2005–06 season, the league announced expansion to the southwest United States with Tulsa, Oklahoma being chosen as a host city. Initially planned to being independently owned and operated by the league, Southwest Basketball, LLC, operated by owner David Kahn, purchased the Altitude and relocated the franchise to Tulsa. The franchise also rebranded and was renamed to the Tulsa 66ers, in honor of the U.S. Route 66 which runs through the city and the state of Oklahoma.[5] Starting in 2005, the National Basketball Association announced an affiliation and assignment system for the league. Under the system, the 66ers were directly affiliated with the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Hornets.[6] Prior to the start of the 2006–07 season, the franchise's affiliation with the Bulls and Pacers ended with the addition of the New York Knicks.[7] Before the relocation of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise had its final affiliations with the Bucks, Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks during the 2007–08 season.[8]
On August 1, 2008, the newly relocated Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to purchased the 66ers for $2.25 million, becoming only the third NBA franchise to own a D-League team. In the agreement, the Thunder owned full control of the team's business and basketball operations and became the sole affiliate of the Thunder.[9]
Oklahoma City Blue (2014–present)
After getting offers from four venues, Professional Basketball Club felt none were suitable and announced the 66ers would move to Oklahoma City and play in the Cox Convention Center across the street from the Chesapeake Energy Arena where the parent club Oklahoma City Thunder plays starting with the 2014–15 season. The team's front offices are located in the Chesapeake Energy Arena along with the rest of the front office staff of the parent club Oklahoma City Thunder.[10] With the move, the team was rebranded from the 66ers to the Blue.[11][12] In the 2016–17 season, the team was the regular season Western Conference champion with 34 wins, a franchise record.[13]
In 2021, the Cox Convention Center was leased to a film production company and the arena was closed to become Prairie Surf Studios.[14] The Blue then moved into their parent team's home arena, the Paycom Center (then recently renamed from Chesapeake Energy Arena) in 2021.[15]
Caruso joined the Blue in 2016 and later signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. Caruso eventually signed a multi-year contract with the Lakers and won his first NBA championship in 2019.
Livingston joined the 66ers in 2009 and was later signed by the Thunder to a multi-year contract three weeks later. Livingston played for nine different NBA teams with his best performance coming with the Golden State Warriors. As a member of the Warriors, Livingston won three NBA championships.
Jackson was assigned to the 66ers starting in 2012 by the Thunder. Jackson will later go on to become the Thunder's sixth man during the 2013-14 season, finishing fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. After being traded by the Thunder, Jackson developed into a starter for the Detroit Pistons and the LA Clippers.
Roberson was assigned to the 66ers starting in 2013 by the Thunder. Roberson will later go on to start for four seasons with the Thunder which included an NBA All-Defensive Second Team honor in 2017.
Brown signed a two-way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2020-21 season. During the season, Brown was named All-NBA G League First Team with season averages of 18.5 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Brown had a career high 21 points and 23 rebounds against the Boston Celtics with the rebounds tying a team record. Brown will later re-sign with the Thunder on a multi-year contract following the season.
Dort went undrafted out of Arizona State signing a two-way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, Dort was lauded for his defense on James Harden including a 30-point performance in game 7 against the Houston Rockets. Dort will later re-sign with the Thunder on a multi-year contract following the season.
Wiggins was drafted 55th overall out of Maryland signing a two-way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. During a seven game stretch in December, Wiggins averaged 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals on 53.8% shooting in 31.8 minutes. Wiggins will later convert his two-way into a multi-year contract with the Thunder during the season.
^"Tulsa 66ers set for 9th season". tulsatoday.com.
^"Tulsa 66ers announce NBA affiliations". oursportscentral.com.
^"Tulsa 66ers Announce NBA Affiliates for 2006-07". oursportscentral.com.
^"Tulsa 66ers Announce 2007-08 NBA Affiliates". oursportscentral.com.
^"OKC's NBA franchise buys Tulsa's D-League team". oklahoman.com.
^"Thunder moving 66ers from Tulsa to Oklahoma City". Tulsa World. July 19, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
^"Thunder Reveals New Name for Development Team". Oklahoma City Thunder. September 24, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
^Mannix, Chris (November 7, 2014). "Thunder eye panic button, Paul Pierce reminisces and more". Sports Illustrated. Time, Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
^Kemp, Adam (April 20, 2017). "OKC Blue season ends after playoff loss to Vipers". NewsOK.com. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
^"Lease approved: OKC's Cox Center now in the movie business". The Oklahoman. December 9, 2020.
^"Oklahoma City Blue Announces 2021-22 Regular-Season Schedule". OKC Blue. September 14, 2021.
External links
Official website
July 07, 2023
oklahoma, city, blue, american, professional, basketball, team, based, oklahoma, city, affiliated, with, oklahoma, city, thunder, blue, compete, league, members, western, conference, blue, play, their, home, games, paycom, center, arena, shared, with, thunder,. The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder The Blue compete in the NBA G League as members of the Western Conference The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center an arena shared with the Thunder Oklahoma City BlueConferenceWesternLeagueNBA G LeagueFounded2001HistoryAsheville Altitude2001 2005Tulsa 66ers2005 2014Oklahoma City Blue2014 presentArenaPaycom CenterLocationOklahoma City OklahomaTeam colorsBlue sunset navy blue yellow 1 2 General managerNazr MohammedHead coachKameron WoodsOwnershipProfessional Basketball Club LLCAffiliation s Oklahoma City ThunderChampionships2 2003 2004 Conference titles2 2004 2017 Division titles4 2003 2017 2018 2019 Websiteoklahomacity wbr gleague wbr nba wbr comThe franchise began as the Asheville Altitude in 2001 playing in Asheville North Carolina for four seasons After struggling with poor attendance the franchise relocated to Tulsa Oklahoma and played nine seasons as the Tulsa 66ers Before the 2014 15 season the franchise relocated again to Oklahoma City Oklahoma becoming the Oklahoma City Blue Contents 1 History 1 1 Asheville Altitude 2001 2005 1 2 Tulsa 66ers 2005 2014 1 3 Oklahoma City Blue 2014 present 2 Season by season record 3 Players and personnel 3 1 Current roster 3 2 Coaches 4 Team honors 4 1 Notable NBA players with experience 4 2 Notable NBA players assigned 4 3 Two way players 5 NBA affiliates 5 1 Asheville Altitude 5 2 Tulsa 66ers 5 3 Oklahoma City Blue 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditAsheville Altitude 2001 2005 Edit The franchise began in 2001 when NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Russ Granik formed the National Basketball Development League Asheville North Carolina was chosen to one of the first eight franchises located in the southeastern United States The franchise hired Joey Meyer and began their inaugural season in the 2001 02 season In its inaugural season the Altitude had a 26 30 record finishing sixth in the league Center Paul Grant was named to the league s inaugural All NBDL Second Team After accumulating a 49 57 record after two seasons the Altitude won back to back championships in its final two seasons in Asheville Despite the Altitude s recent success the franchise experienced poor attendance with fans often numbering in the dozens despite a 5 000 seat capacity In its first four seasons the Altitude averaged 788 fans a game and suffered at least 100 000 in losses 3 After the 2004 05 season team president Rudy Bourg announced the Altitude had been sold to an independent ownership group and would relocate prior to the start of next season 4 Tulsa 66ers 2005 2014 Edit Before the start of the 2005 06 season the league announced expansion to the southwest United States with Tulsa Oklahoma being chosen as a host city Initially planned to being independently owned and operated by the league Southwest Basketball LLC operated by owner David Kahn purchased the Altitude and relocated the franchise to Tulsa The franchise also rebranded and was renamed to the Tulsa 66ers in honor of the U S Route 66 which runs through the city and the state of Oklahoma 5 Starting in 2005 the National Basketball Association announced an affiliation and assignment system for the league Under the system the 66ers were directly affiliated with the Chicago Bulls Indiana Pacers Milwaukee Bucks and the New Orleans Hornets 6 Prior to the start of the 2006 07 season the franchise s affiliation with the Bulls and Pacers ended with the addition of the New York Knicks 7 Before the relocation of the Oklahoma City Thunder the franchise had its final affiliations with the Bucks Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks during the 2007 08 season 8 On August 1 2008 the newly relocated Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to purchased the 66ers for 2 25 million becoming only the third NBA franchise to own a D League team In the agreement the Thunder owned full control of the team s business and basketball operations and became the sole affiliate of the Thunder 9 Oklahoma City Blue 2014 present Edit After getting offers from four venues Professional Basketball Club felt none were suitable and announced the 66ers would move to Oklahoma City and play in the Cox Convention Center across the street from the Chesapeake Energy Arena where the parent club Oklahoma City Thunder plays starting with the 2014 15 season The team s front offices are located in the Chesapeake Energy Arena along with the rest of the front office staff of the parent club Oklahoma City Thunder 10 With the move the team was rebranded from the 66ers to the Blue 11 12 In the 2016 17 season the team was the regular season Western Conference champion with 34 wins a franchise record 13 In 2021 the Cox Convention Center was leased to a film production company and the arena was closed to become Prairie Surf Studios 14 The Blue then moved into their parent team s home arena the Paycom Center then recently renamed from Chesapeake Energy Arena in 2021 15 Season by season record EditSeason Regular season PlayoffsW L W L Finish W L W L FinishAsheville Altitude2001 02 26 30 464 6th Missed playoffs2002 03 23 27 460 7th Missed playoffs2003 04 28 18 609 1st 2 0 1 000 Won D League Championship2004 05 27 21 563 2nd 2 0 1 000 Won D League ChampionshipTulsa 66ers2005 06 24 24 500 7th Missed playoffs2006 07 21 29 420 4th Missed playoffs2007 08 26 24 520 3rd Missed playoffs2008 09 15 35 300 5th Missed playoffs2009 10 27 23 540 5th 2 1 667 Lost D League Finals2010 11 33 17 660 3rd 1 1 500 Lost in Semifinals2011 12 23 27 460 6th Missed playoffs2012 13 27 23 540 3rd 1 1 500 Lost in Semifinals2013 14 24 26 480 5th Missed playoffsOklahoma City Blue2014 15 28 22 560 2nd 0 1 000 Lost in First Round2015 16 19 31 380 4th Missed playoffs2016 17 34 16 680 1st 1 1 500 Lost in Conference Finals2017 18 28 22 560 1st 0 1 000 Lost in First Round2018 19 34 16 680 1st 1 1 500 Lost in Semifinals2019 20 20 22 476 3rd Season cancelled2020 21 8 7 533 9th Missed playoffs2021 22 15 20 429 10th Missed playoffs2022 23 13 19 406 10th Missed playoffsPlayers and personnel EditCurrent roster Edit Oklahoma City Blue rostervte Players CoachesPos No Name Height Weight DOB YYYY MM DD FromG 10 Avery Adarius 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 200 lb 91 kg 1996 11 19 Central OklahomaG 13 Butler Jared TW 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 193 lb 88 kg 2000 06 25 BaylorG 3 Gaddy Abdul 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 195 lb 88 kg 1992 01 26 WashingtonG F 32 Hopson Scotty I 6 ft 7 in 2 01 m 204 lb 93 kg 1989 08 08 TennesseeG 7 Ramsey Jahmi us 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 195 lb 88 kg 2001 06 09 Texas TechG F 8 Roberson Andre 6 ft 7 in 2 01 m 210 lb 95 kg 1991 12 04 ColoradoC 30 Sarr Olivier TW 7 ft 0 in 2 13 m 240 lb 109 kg 1999 02 20 KentuckyG 5 Shackelford Jaden 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 200 lb 91 kg 2001 02 14 AlabamaF 28 Woodard Robert II 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 235 lb 107 kg 1999 09 22 Mississippi StateG 1 Woolridge Ryan 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 175 lb 79 kg 1996 11 16 Gonzaga Head coachKameron WoodsAssistant coach es Daniel Dixon Darnell Foreman Seth Jackson Samuel Newman BeckLegend C Team captain DP Unsigned draft pick FA Free agent S Suspended P Prospects NBA On assignment from NBA affiliate TW Two way affiliate player Injured Roster Last transaction June 30 2023Coaches Edit Name Years Regular season Playoffs AchievementsGC W L W L GC W L W L Asheville Altitude1 Joey Meyer 2001 08 348 175 173 503 4 4 0 1 000 2 Championships 2004 2005 Tulsa 66ers2 Paul Woolpert 2008 09 50 15 35 300 3 Nate Tibbetts 2009 11 100 60 40 600 13 6 7 462 4 Dale Osbourne 2011 12 50 23 27 460 5 Darko Rajakovic 2012 14 100 51 49 510 5 2 3 400 Oklahoma City Blue6 Mark Daigneault 2014 19 250 143 107 572 11 4 7 364 3 Coach of the Month awards7 Grant Gibbs 2019 22 92 43 49 467 8 Kameron Woods 2022 present 21 13 19 406 Team honors EditNotable NBA players with experience Edit Alex Caruso Shaun Livingston Alex Caruso 2016 17 Caruso joined the Blue in 2016 and later signed a two way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017 Caruso eventually signed a multi year contract with the Lakers and won his first NBA championship in 2019 Shaun Livingston 2009 Livingston joined the 66ers in 2009 and was later signed by the Thunder to a multi year contract three weeks later Livingston played for nine different NBA teams with his best performance coming with the Golden State Warriors As a member of the Warriors Livingston won three NBA championships Names in bold indicate those who played for the Oklahoma City Thunder Name YearsMaurice Ager 2008DeVaughn Akoon Purcell 2019 20Markel Brown 2017 18 2019 20Rasual Butler 2012 13Dwight Buycks 2015 16Alex Caruso 2016 17Antonius Cleveland 2021Tyler Cook 2020Duje Dukan 2018Ronald Dupree 2007 08 Name YearsRob Edwards 2021 22Vincent Edwards 2019 20 2021Michael Gbinije 2021 22Eddie Gill 2002 03Jason Hart 2001Myke Henry 2016 17 2019 20Xavier Henry 2016 17Scotty Hopson 2018 19 2020 2021 23Shaun Livingston 2009Solomon Jones 2017 Name YearsGeorgios Kalaitzakis 2021 22K J McDaniels 2018 19Dominic McGuire 2014Elijah Millsap 2010 11Adam Mokoka 2022 23Erik Murphy 2018Jannero Pargo 2016 17Chris Quinn 2012 13Jahmi us Ramsey 2022 23Chasson Randle 2021 2023 Name YearsAndy Rautins 2012 13Andre Roberson 2023Mustafa Shakur 2009 10 2014 2018Zavier Simpson 2021 22Chris Singleton 2015Marquis Teague 2014 16Hollis Thompson 2012 13Ben Uzoh 2013 14Reggie Williams 2014 15 2016 17D J Wilson 2021 23 Name YearsRobert Woodard II 2022 23Omer Yurtseven 2021 Notable NBA players assigned Edit Andre Roberson Reggie Jackson Cameron Payne Reggie Jackson 2012 Jackson was assigned to the 66ers starting in 2012 by the Thunder Jackson will later go on to become the Thunder s sixth man during the 2013 14 season finishing fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting After being traded by the Thunder Jackson developed into a starter for the Detroit Pistons and the LA Clippers Cameron Payne 2015 17 Payne was assigned to the Blue starting in 2015 by the Thunder Payne eventually found a role with the Phoenix Suns as a role player starting in 2019 Andre Roberson 2013 14 Roberson was assigned to the 66ers starting in 2013 by the Thunder Roberson will later go on to start for four seasons with the Thunder which included an NBA All Defensive Second Team honor in 2017 Name YearsCole Aldrich 2010 11Brandon Bass 2006Semaj Christon 2017Hamidou Diallo 2019Ousmane Dieng 2022 23Terrance Ferguson 2017Aaron Harrison 2016Lazar Hayward 2012Josh Huestis 2015 17Steven Hill 2008 Name YearsReggie Jackson 2012Grant Jerrett 2014 15Ty Jerome 2021Dakari Johnson 2017 2018Perry Jones 2012 13Vit Krejci 2022Jeremy Lamb 2012 13DeAndre Liggins 2012 13Theo Maledon 2022Tre Mann 2021 23 Name YearsMitch McGary 2014 16Byron Mullens 2009 11Abdel Nader 2018Daniel Orton 2012 13Justin Patton 2019 20Cameron Payne 2015 17Aleksej Pokusevski 2021 23Ryan Reid 2012Andre Roberson 2013 14Jeremiah Robinson Earl 2022 23 Name YearsIsaiah Roby 2020 22Ramon Sessions 2007 08Kyle Weaver 2009 10D J White 2009 10Jaylin Williams 2022 23 Two way players Edit Luguentz Dort Aaron Wiggins Moses Brown Moses Brown 2020 21 Brown signed a two way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2020 21 season During the season Brown was named All NBA G League First Team with season averages of 18 5 points 13 9 rebounds and 1 9 blocks Brown had a career high 21 points and 23 rebounds against the Boston Celtics with the rebounds tying a team record Brown will later re sign with the Thunder on a multi year contract following the season Luguentz Dort 2019 20 Dort went undrafted out of Arizona State signing a two way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2019 20 season During the 2020 NBA Playoffs Dort was lauded for his defense on James Harden including a 30 point performance in game 7 against the Houston Rockets Dort will later re sign with the Thunder on a multi year contract following the season Aaron Wiggins 2021 22 Wiggins was drafted 55th overall out of Maryland signing a two way contract with the Thunder prior to the start of the 2021 22 season During a seven game stretch in December Wiggins averaged 15 3 points 5 6 rebounds and 1 1 steals on 53 8 shooting in 31 8 minutes Wiggins will later convert his two way into a multi year contract with the Thunder during the season Names in bold indicate current two way players for the Oklahoma City Thunder Name YearsMoses Brown 2020 21Deonte Burton 2018 19Jared Butler 2023Tyler Davis 2018Luguentz Dort 2019 20P J Dozier 2017 18Jawun Evans 2019Melvin Frazier Jr 2022Donte Grantham 2018 19Devon Hall 2019 20 Name YearsJosh Hall 2020 21Daniel Hamilton 2017 18Jaylen Hoard 2021Kevin Hervey 2019 20Keyontae Johnson 2023Eugene Omoruyi 2022 23Lindy Waters III 2022 23Olivier Sarr 2022 2023Paul Watson Jr 2021 22Aaron Wiggins 2021 22NBA affiliates EditAsheville Altitude Edit NoneTulsa 66ers Edit Chicago Bulls 2005 2006 Dallas Mavericks 2007 2008 Indiana Pacers 2005 2006 Milwaukee Bucks 2005 2008 New Orleans Hornets 2005 2007 New York Knicks 2006 2008 Oklahoma City Thunder 2008 2014 Oklahoma City Blue Edit Oklahoma City Thunder 2014 present References Edit 2018 19 Quick Facts PDF 2018 19 Oklahoma City Blue Media Guide NBA Media Ventures LLC November 7 2018 Retrieved December 1 2018 Oklahoma City Blue Reproduction Guideline Sheet NBA Properties Inc Retrieved August 30 2017 Would minor league pro basketball fly in Asheville citizen times com Altitude leaving Asheville blueridgenow com Tulsa 66ers set for 9th season tulsatoday com Tulsa 66ers announce NBA affiliations oursportscentral com Tulsa 66ers Announce NBA Affiliates for 2006 07 oursportscentral com Tulsa 66ers Announce 2007 08 NBA Affiliates oursportscentral com OKC s NBA franchise buys Tulsa s D League team oklahoman com Thunder moving 66ers from Tulsa to Oklahoma City Tulsa World July 19 2014 Retrieved June 6 2017 Thunder Reveals New Name for Development Team Oklahoma City Thunder September 24 2014 Retrieved July 14 2017 Mannix Chris November 7 2014 Thunder eye panic button Paul Pierce reminisces and more Sports Illustrated Time Inc Retrieved June 6 2017 Kemp Adam April 20 2017 OKC Blue season ends after playoff loss to Vipers NewsOK com Retrieved June 6 2017 Lease approved OKC s Cox Center now in the movie business The Oklahoman December 9 2020 Oklahoma City Blue Announces 2021 22 Regular Season Schedule OKC Blue September 14 2021 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oklahoma City Blue amp oldid 1161774010, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
